How 4 Nations fits into the NHL’s growth strategy

The NHL All-Star Game is like the Super Bowl’s new score bug – it looks a little different this year.

Tomorrow, the puck drops on the NHL’s very first 4 Nations tournament, the league’s replacement for its All-Star Game, as owners look to boost fan interest and viewership in the sport.

How it works: Teams from four nations – Canada, Finland, Sweden, and the US – will each play each other once. The two teams with the highest points total after round-robin play will compete in the championship game on February 20 (non-OT win = 3 pts; OT or shootout win = 2 pts; OT or shootout loss = 1 pt).

How the rosters were chosen: ~85% of active NHL players hail from one of the four nations in the 4 Nations. Russia is the only other country present in the top five active-player nationalities (#4), but weren’t selected to compete for…obvious reasons. Each nation was responsible for fielding its own squad – but NHL players only, no college ringers like Mike Eruzione.

The league wants the globe to watch

If all the world’s a stage, then the NHL has been hiding out in the green room. NHL players were forced to forgo participating in the 2018 and 2022 Olympic Games, and haven’t played in an international tournament since the World Cup of Hockey in 2016.

But the times, they are a-changin'. NHL players have reportedly been pushing commissioner Gary Bettman and the owners for the ability to compete on a world stage – and it seems they’re finally listening.

• The league, players union, International Ice Hockey Federation, and International Olympic Committee struck a deal for players to go to the next two winter Olympic Games: Milan in 2026 and the French Alps in 2030.
• The NHL and the NHLPA are also imminently expected to announce they’re hosting a 2028 World Cup of Hockey.

These international tilts are expected to boost fan interest. As one legend put it, great moments are born from great opportunity – and that’s what the league is working to create. Last year’s All-Star Game averaged 1.4 million viewers, down from 1.5 million the previous year and clocking in as the second-least-watched NHL All-Star Game on record.

Viewership also isn’t great this year; the league saw a 39% year-over-year decline in Opening Night viewership, then drew a record-low audience for the Winter Classic a few months later.

Dive in: See the 4 Nations schedule and storylines to watch. And in case you were curious: the US and Canada are co-favorites on BetMGM Sportsbook.